Easter and Passover arrive in spring like the California poppy, lupin and other wildflowers blooming across the state right now. Easter is the Christian holiday celebrating the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Passover is a commemoration of the story of Israelites departing from ancient Egypt.

The history of both holidays is biblical: Easter is rooted in stories from the New Testament of the Bible, while the stories remembered through rituals during Passover were written in the Old Testament books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, among others.

Then there’s the Easter bunny and eggs. Rabbits do not lay eggs, yet both are now recognized like our spring superblooms as symbols of new life. Decorating eggs dates back to the 13th century, while the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania, according to History.com. We have 19th century France and Germany to thank for chocolate eggs, BBC reported.

Whether you’re helping make Easter the second best-selling holiday for candy, helping yourself to another serving of Matzo or just hanging out and perusing the Sunday funnies, the Bay Area News Group extends well wishes to all.

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